Pontoon Boats

SteelieSlammer · 01-23-2004, 07:01 AM

I am thinking of getting a pontoon boat soon and I have noticed that there are all sorts of brands out there. I know that the $300.00 boat you see at GI Joes are not probably of the best quality but for an all around boat that could be used to drift a coastal river like the wilson, trask, NFN or inland like the sandy, Clack Deschutes what would be a good starting point.

tailchaser · 01-23-2004, 07:12 AM

You can't really go wrong with one for 300 bucks now'adays. I know Creek Company, bucks bags, and other pretty well known pontoons will hold up great in any water you put them in on the local small rivers. I know that Sportsmans has a pretty good one that's around that price also. The extra stuff that's makes them more expensive is good and bad. If you're inventive you can put the rod holders, anchor systems, etc.. on by yourself without paying the extra 300 bones. The main things you want are a place to put a cooler, rod holders, and an anchor. I personally put on my aluminum diamondplate deck on the back of mine with tie rings and everything and it cost me 35 bucks. You'd pay 200 more for the same thing out of the store. So in the end my advice is get the cheap one and figure out what options you want from there instead of paying a bunch more for them.

tc

spin33 · 01-23-2004, 07:55 AM

The main item to be concerned with in my opinion, is the thickness of the bladder, and the cover material. The cheaper one's have too thin of material and could let you down in rough conditions. I have a couple of " Outcast" 8' boats, and they have held up to a pretty rough testing. And I also agree that it is pretty easy to outfit your own pontoon boat with anchor and all that stuff. My son and I also use trolling motors on ours in the summer to smallie fish the Umpqua.

Beefcake · 01-23-2004, 08:05 AM

There was a nice Outcast on the classified board yesterday or the day before for $200. I'd check it out. :grin:

hustlerrjim · 01-23-2004, 08:41 AM

don't consider anything under 10 ft.
I have run all of them ,and the 10 footer is ideal and easy to launch and recover.
8 foot is just to small, the extra 2 feet makes all the difference.
some problem with delamination on the 8 ft. outcast.
but for 300 dollars you become free from the bank and will be introduced to a new world.

spin33 · 01-23-2004, 02:03 PM

Like I said "OUTCAST" 8' is way long enough. If you go bigger you just lose your manuverability. I have had no problems with " delamination" or any other problems with outcast brand. I have used them hard for 4 years, fishing steelies and smallies, they hold up.

foxer · 01-23-2004, 03:07 PM

I have a 8ft creek company that I may be willing to sell (good price). I have only used it 3 times and that was in a lake. The pontoons are quite a bit bigger in diameter than the outcasts etc. Rated to 300lbs...

Hooker · 01-24-2004, 01:46 AM

I own one of those $300 pontoon boats. A 8' Fish Cat to be exact. I agree with Jim on getting a 10' pontoon, especially if you're going to drift the upper NFN (although I have seen it done). The extra 2' does make a huge difference when it comes down to stability.

I have drifted nearly every coastal river in my Fish Cat and I never once felt like I needed a bigger boat for safety reasons. There were times when I had storage issues though. In other words, the $300 boat will get you where you need to go!

I did do several changes to my pontoon boat before it hit the water though. I installed a anchor system that ran in the frame, added rod holders, and modified the rear platform to hold more gear. I also added a better seat with padding.

Good luck.

GOT2FISH · 01-24-2004, 09:40 AM

Check with Bruce at waterready you can find him on the fly page I think he had one around that price. It was a demo I think .

Hookset · 01-24-2004, 10:01 AM

The sporstman show coming up next month at the Expo Center is an excellent place to check out pontoon boats. Great selection, good prices and another chance to ask questions from people who use pontoon boats.

Gregg

Water Ready · 01-24-2004, 07:26 PM

The demo I have is a Trout Traps, 10' model with 18 inch diameter tubes. Has been used twice and want it out of my shop. [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img] :shocked: Doesn't fit with my toons. E-mail if any interest. Has oars, bags, stripn' appron, aluminum powder coated frame. Happy Fishn'

Catcherman · 01-24-2004, 11:07 PM

Depending on how much you want to spend, look at Great American Tackle in Clackamas, Gary can set you up with a nice 10' rig that will work on any river!
Tom :grin:

TheCamel · 01-25-2004, 02:24 PM

SteelieSlammer:
I have had an Outcast PAC800 for 8 years, and have floated the Lower McKenzie, Siletz, and North Santiam rivers, along with lots of lakes. It has performed flawlessly. If I were going to buy a pontoon today, I would seriously look at the Outcast Fish Cat Cougar 8' quad pontoon model(or Outcast Fish Cat quad pontoon Panther 9'). Low profile so any wind drift is minimized. The double pontoons provide for minimum draft in the water. I have seen both priced at under $500. Have to agree with spin33 regarding toughness of bladder and outer covering being of high importance.

TheCamel

[ 01-25-2004, 08:28 PM: Message edited by: TheCamel ]

Jimmy Carl Black · 01-26-2004, 07:25 AM

I talked to a Creek Company Rep before Christmas and he said all of the models and brands had the same materials for their pontoons. I don't know about the coverings. Can anyone tell me if they've seen these listed on the specifications of their pontoon?

spin33 · 01-26-2004, 07:53 AM

Try www.outcastboats.com All spec's will be available. My Outcast PAC800 has 12 mil. Urethane outer shell, with thermal welded seams. It comes with a 10 year warranty which I did use once when I damaged it unloading from my trailer, a new bladder and a great inside patch on the outer shell. They stand behind their product.

[ 01-26-2004, 09:01 AM: Message edited by: spin33 ]

foxer · 01-26-2004, 09:16 AM

Go to creek company's website. Good info. I believe there are several models that use the same 8ft pontoon. Fairly rugged outer cover. The 10ft models use a different cover. Mine was/is a good one for a first time boat. I like the bigger diameter tubes

SteelieSlammer · 01-26-2004, 12:25 PM

Thanks for all the info. I am really looking foward to the sportsmans show to check out these. I sure would like to have got one that i could have used this winter but need a few more months to save up enough dough.

Steelheader69 · 01-26-2004, 01:00 PM

Actually, not all boats have same materials. Some are similar (most are in the 1200 denier rating), but not all. Go to a fly shop and pickup flyfish america (free publication) and you'll see they have a gear guide just out. Has most pontoons out there. Will tell you handling capacity, denier, etc. Most of your upper end pontoons are hypalon, sandwiched PVC, whereas most of your lower end boats are are nylon, or lower grade PVC. 8' is short, and actually 10' is better. If you have a quality set of tubes, a 10' will draft as little and maneuver as fast as most 8' on the market. But you're talking a 10' in the $1500 range at show prices, vs a boat that normally sells for about $300 regularly. So, as I always say, you get what you pay for. LOL. Go to the sportsman show in Portland, and check it out. Only problem, you'll see some of the nicer boats out there and drool (go check out the Skookum catarafts, you'll be drooling in no time lol). But like his boats, 5500 denier rating. Almost 5 times the toughness of any of the other boats out there and about toughest in the industy. I know I've beat my boat up, ripped over carbodies, posted on tree limbs/sticks, and barely put a scratch on it. Plus, runs a lot faster then my 8 and 9' outcasts I owned and the bucks and leighs I've run.

Steelie28 · 01-26-2004, 02:00 PM

I also have the Outcast Pac 800 and have had no problems with it. My only gripe is the inability to anchor in a river. Very squirly unless out of the current. I have a buddy with an old Fish Cat and he has had the welds on his frame fail a few times. I'd look into that if considering a Fish Cat. They may have fixed the issue. Fish Cats are made by Outcast and are their lower end models. 10' tubes would be nice in bigger water, but the 8' will get you down most rivers.

Steelie28

Rivergirl · 01-26-2004, 11:10 PM

I have a 9 ft. Buck's Bags bronco pontoon boat and love it. The best part is it is easy to transport in the back of an Explorer or a truck and can be launched in places drift boats and larger boats can't. I've never taken it down huge rapids but it rides nice down smaller ones and I've ridden over shallow spots where everyone else had to get out and pull their drift boat through. This brand is very durable. I like their manuverability. Fishing directly from them can be tricky -- I use it to get to the spots where a bank person couldn't.

spin33 · 01-27-2004, 06:42 AM

I believe you will find that all pontoon boats are not going to anchor very well. I have tried a few different ways, but if you take on too much current its gona get squirly on you, it's the nature and dynamics of two pontoons. We fish the Umpqua all summer using anchors and fish from the standing position. You just have to stay outside of the fast current.

Steelheader69 · 01-27-2004, 09:07 AM

Actually, most of the rocker hulled boats are the reason for the squirelliness (not sure if that's a word lol). You have very little tube in the water, and what you do have is sitting deep. Since you have so little footing, the anchor causes the boat to sit lower (thanks to short water line) and really intensifies the effect in back. So, not only do you pop a wheelie, you really waiver back and forth.

Now, all my whitewater catarafts (much bigger boats in the 14-20' range) and my skookums have virtually none of that waiver on anchor. Even my smaller 9' never moved that much. Of course, they will move a bit, but not nearly as bad as the full rocker hulls (like on outcasts, bucks, etc). It also has to do with weight capacities as well. Most have a lower weight handling capacity, so just marginal weight makes it sit much lower in the water. Causing more drag and making them sway alot more as well. Just something to consider. But most of your whitewater grade cataraft boats will anchor alot nicer then these other boats.